Standards Watch: Introduction

[Backpacking Light]

Intro to a monthly column that explains important backpacking product standards, interviews key people, and analyzes industry standards.

• Standards Watch: Introduction

[BlackHatGuy]

Looking forward to your articles Rex. Thanks for taking this on.

[Adrian Griffin]

Sorely needed. For backpacks, what I call pocket waste affects the usable volume. My zPacks Arc Blast (55 liters, plus about 3 liters for the add-on side pockets) seems nearly as big as my Jansport Carson 80. The reason is that the Carson has 6 pockets, a large lid, and a sleeping bag compartment. The 80 liters is measured assuming all pockets are exactly filled. But gear doesn’t fit this way, so the practical volume is much less. The Arc Blast is one big sack, plus a back mesh pocket, so the practical volume is closer to the stated volume.

So when you do packs, see if there’s a way to allow for lost space in partly-filled pockets and lids.

[PaulW]

I’m really looking forward to these articles. I’d love to understand what “standards” are used to determine torso length, shoe size, and tent sizing. Seems like no one uses the same length ruler!

[todd]

This sounds great!  Lotsa possibilities here.

[BlackHatGuy]

What I’d really love to see is after your series is over, is that it all get consolidated into a downloadable e-book, preferably in PDF format.

[Todd T]

As a tall guy, I find the most egregious inconsistencies in the labeling of tent dimensions.  It’s not that published dimensions are wrong, it’s that they’re irrelevant.  Floor length and width are utterly meaningless without knowledge of ceiling height at/near the edges.  Peak ceiling height is irrelevant in all cases unless the ceiling is completely flat.  All dimensions have different practical meanings for single- vs double-wall.  Etc.

I don’t expect this one to be easy.

[Rex Sanders]

Thanks for the encouragement and suggestions. Keep those ideas coming!

— Rex

[Adrian Griffin]

Perhaps the length of a tent should not be the full length, but the length for which the internal height is more than 10 inches, 12 inches, or whatever to allow clearance for the sleeper’s head and the toe box of their sleeping bag.

[David Thomas]

How long a coffin can you place in the tent?

(asking for a friend).

[Roger Caffin]

, I find the most egregious inconsistencies in the labeling of tent dimensions.
Don’t pick on tents. The same criticism applies to many pack brands for capacity, for some sleeping bags over temp ratings and size, etc.
It’s a competitive capitalist world with few prizes for honesty. All that matters is the bottom line for the next quarter.

Cheers

[Todd T]

, I find the most egregious inconsistencies in the labeling of tent dimensions.
Don’t pick on tents.

Don’t pick off the most important part of my sentence:  “As a tall guy…”  :-)

The same criticism applies to many pack brands for capacity, for some sleeping bags over temp ratings and size, etc.
It’s a competitive capitalist world with few prizes for honesty.

The (dis)honesty of marketing is a separate matter, I think.  Even if all marketing were forthright and factual, there would be value in standards that allow meaningful comparison across manufacturers and products.

 

[Max L.]

I’m relatively new around here, but this sounds like it will be a very interesting series. I love hearing the hows and whys of designs.

[Fred A]

It may be interesting to take a deep dive into waterproof/breathable rain parkas and the process of “Wetting-Out”.  Is there a way to differentiate captured perspiration versus rain migrating through the material?  This may help to define “Wetting-Out” in quantifiable terms to compare rain parkas.

[Author]

Posts